Generic, name brands face off

By BETH LUCAS
Collegian Staff Writer

Beside almost every type of medicine in a drug store is a store-brand version of the same thing. While these generic medicines can cost half as much, many consumers still buy name brands.

"Some people rely on brand names because they are familiar with them," said Jennifer Wolter, pharmacist at McLanahan's Drug Store, 116 E. College Ave.

However, for those who just need something to make them feel better, store brands and generics are as good as anything, she said.

"I personally take generics because they do the job and they cost less," she said. "The active ingredients are the same because the generic companies generally have to prove that they are."

Both kinds of medicine are important for the pharmaceutical industry. Name brands offer original and new medicines, as the company distributing them has done the research and created the drug.

The name brand's company gets a patent when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves its product. When the patent expires, generic companies rush to create their own cheaper form of the same drug.

"The dye, bindings or physical appearance may be different in the generic," Wolter said.

To create their own versions of the same or a similar product, generic companies must also test with the FDA, said Chet Evans, pharmacist for Weis Markets Inc., 110 Rolling Ridge Drive.

"Volunteers take the (generic) medication and later give blood samples," he said. "The blood must have a certain amount of the medicine in it still."

The blood test measures the amount medicine left in the bloodstream after a certain time interval. The generic needs to fall within a range of 9 percent of what is left in the name-brand test. If it does, the generic is considered comparable and receives an AB rating, which means it is similar to the original and can be used in place of it. A medicine deemed incompatible receives a BX rating, which means it is still approved and marketed, but should not be used in place of the original.

The ratings usually are not printed on the medicine's packaging, and not all companies are rated, Evens said, but pharmacists can offer assistance with choosing over-the-counter drugs.

Courtney Heaps (junior-wildlife and fishery science) has used both name brand and generic medicine and sees no difference in how each works.

"My dad gets me name brand samples, but I would probably just use generic if I bought my own because it is less expensive," she said.

Generic brands sell far more than name brands at McLanahan's, Wolter said.

"A lot of people come in knowing they will save money," she said.